As known in the art and exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,547,480, 5,167,683 and 5,120,337, filter elements or filter cartridges (collectively referred to as “filter elements”) are used to remove particulates from a fluid such as, for example, air. The filter elements come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and configurations depending on their particular application and use.
In some circumstances, the filter elements include a handle or similar structure in order to facilitate the removal of the filter element from a housing as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,090,708, 5,190,651 and 3,616,618. The Applicant has developed improvements for filter elements and, in particular, the handle therefore. The present disclosure is directed to these improvements.